Deck 9: Human Development

Question 1

The fetus has a heart by:

A) the second month
B) the fifth month
C) the seventh month
D) birth

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Your aunt who drinks just got pregnant.What of the following actions would you recommend to her?

A) She should quit drinking immediately.
B) She should stop drinking, but could begin to smoke.
C) She can drink safely up until the end of the first trimester.
D) It is already too late to avoid harm to her fetus, so it does not matter what she does.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Sandra is a very emotional person.She becomes even more emotional when she is pregnant with her first child.A psychologist is counseling her about the effects of being highly stressed and distraught during her pregnancy.Which of the following effects is a possible result of Sandra's highly emotional state on her baby?

A) Her stress may affect the fetus via exposure to high levels of stress hormones.
B) Her stress levels will impair future thyroid functioning in the fetus, resulting in growth difficulties.
C) Her stress may expose the fetus to high levels of testosterone, resulting in high aggression.
D) There are no known effects on fetus development.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The embryonic stage of development ends at _____ weeks of development.

A) 24
B) 32
C) 2
D) 8

Question 5

What is the name of the developmental stage that occurs from approximately 2 weeks after conception to approximately 2 months?

A) zygote
B) embryo
C) fetus
D) infant

Question 6

What is the name of the developmental stage that occurs from conception to approximately 2 weeks after conception?

A) zygote
B) embryo
C) fetus
D) infant

Question 7

Which of the following areas is NOT likely to be studied by developmental psychologists?

A) the central role that culture plays in the order in which children develop certain skills
B) the critical point in fetal development that is responsible for social behaviors
C) the effects of exercise on memory in individuals with amnesia
D) the neurotransmitters critical for the hardwiring of reflexes in the brain

Question 8

Which is likely to be the most critical period of fetal development and why?

A) zygote, because most of the internal organs are formed during this period
B) embryo, because most of the internal organs are formed during this period
C) fetus, because most of the internal organs are formed during this period
D) infant, because the baby is finally viable

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT true about the young girl named Genie described in your text?

A) Genie had been severely neglected and abused.
B) Genie had no language, self-help skills, or real-world knowledge when she was found.
C) Genie was able to overcome all the obstacles of her early life and is essentially normal today.
D) Genie engaged in animal-like behavior.

Question 10

What is the name of the developmental stage that occurs from approximately 2 months to birth?

A) zygote
B) embryo
C) fetus
D) infant

Question 11

Maternal hormones:

A) have little effect on a fetus's development because the fetus is isolated from the mother's blood supply
B) can affect physical development, such as the time at which a child will walk, but not mental variables, such as IQ
C) can have important effects on variables such as intellectual development
D) have an effect on a fetus's development only in the first trimester

Question 12

Which of the following items are considered potential teratogens?

A) drugs
B) bacteria
C) viruses
D) all of the above

Question 13

What are some of the changes that a developmental psychologist might be interested in studying?

A) cognitive
B) physiological
C) social
D) all of the above

Question 14

Most psychologists now agree that behavior is the product of nature and nurture.An example of this interaction is that:

A) if the environment can prevent a gene from "expressing" itself, that gene will have little influence on behavior
B) genes focus our attention on aspects of the environment that are required for our survival
C) if nature has not prepared us to respond to a particular environmental stimulus, we cannot learn to respond to it
D) we are unable to adapt to changes in the environment

Question 15

The term embryo describes the stage of development from:

A) conception to approximately 2 weeks after conception
B) approximately 2 weeks after conception to approximately 2 months
C) approximately 2 months to birth
D) during the last trimester

Question 16

The zygotic stage of development ends at _____ weeks of development.

A) 24
B) 32
C) 2
D) 8

Question 17

Recently,in Florida,a 7-year-old girl was found to have suffered much of the same types of neglect and abuse that Genie suffered,as described in your text.Given the Florida girl's age,you would expect that she:

A) will also not recover, as the brain is set in infancy and cannot be changed
B) might have slightly more recovery than Genie because the Florida girl is quite a bit younger than Genie was when she was found
C) is likely to completely recover because the brain is not set until the teen years
D) unlike Genie, will definitely recover because we are much better at repairing the brain today

Question 18

The case of Genie,discussed in your textbook,illustrates:

A) how autism can affect behavior
B) the negative impact of social isolation on normal development
C) that brain development is relatively unaffected by one's early environment
D) that early language develops even in the absence of environmental stimulation

Question 19

What is the correct order of the periods of the human developmental progression?

A) prenatal, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood
B) prenatal, infancy, adolescence, childhood, adulthood
C) prenatal, infancy, childhood, adulthood, adolescence
D) none of the above

Question 20

It is difficult to draw strong conclusions regarding a sensitive period for language on the basis of Genie and other feral children because:

A) it is unclear how old they are
B) their language exposure was minimal during childhood
C) some are abused or neglected
D) they cannot speak

Question 21

Studies of brain development:

A) confirm that the brain you have at birth is fully developed
B) show that unless you are born prematurely, your brain is mature at the end of the second trimester
C) indicate that brain development continues into adulthood
D) demonstrate that the major influences on brain development occur after birth

Question 22

Environmental influences begin to affect children's development:

A) when they are able to move about in their environments
B) shortly after conception
C) within hours of birth
D) as soon as they begin attending to peers

Question 23

Which of the following conditions is a preventable birth defect?

A) Down syndrome
B) fetal alcohol syndrome
C) hemophilia, a genetic bleeding disorder
D) mental retardation

Question 24

Which of the following conditions is a disorder or syndrome that exemplifies the conflict between women's personal rights versus the effects of women's behavior on their infants?

A) Down syndrome
B) fetal alcohol syndrome
C) hemophilia, a genetic bleeding disorder
D) mental retardation

Question 25

What is the influence of the environment on brain development?

A) none; brain development is controlled by genes
B) none; the brain is fully developed at birth
C) substantial; but the influence is primarily through diet
D) substantial; a broad range of environmental factors affects brain development

Question 26

Very few synaptic connections between neurons will be made in the brain if:

A) myelination has not occurred
B) the child is not adequately stimulated
C) the child is in the preoperational stage
D) all teratogens have been avoided

Question 27

The concept of a "sensitive period" for language learning in humans means that:

A) if language is not learned by a certain age, it will never be learned
B) first languages can be learned at any age, but second languages must be acquired by middle adulthood
C) if a first language is not learned by a certain age, language acquisition will become more difficult
D) vocabulary can be learned at any age, but there is a small window during development when grammar can be acquired

Question 28

At birth,an infant will automatically turn and suck when a nipple or similar object is placed near her or his mouth.This reflex is called:

A) grasping
B) pruning
C) rooting
D) orienting

Question 29

Myelination:

A) occurs in all brain regions at roughly the same time
B) increases the speed at which a neuron can transmit signals
C) is not complete in the brain areas involved in abstract thought until young adulthood
D) both B and C

Question 30

What is the name of the drug taken by women in the late 1950s and early 1960s to ease morning sickness and later found to produce birth defects (e.g.,limb deformities)?

A) thorazine
B) imipramine
C) ethanol
D) thalodimide

Question 31

Which of the following statements is NOT true about brain development?

A) As an adult, your brain has fewer synapses than it had when you were 2 years old.
B) Humans are less mature at birth than are most other animals.
C) The number of brain synapses increases rapidly during the two years following birth.
D) The brain of a full-term newborn is fully developed.

Question 32

Your best friend recently had a baby.She is excited because the baby smiled at birth,and she believes that the smiling indicated attachment.You know that:

A) your friend is absolutely right; newborns smile at their mothers from birth to indicate attachment
B) the smiling is likely the result of pleasurable feelings felt by the newborn, not social smiling
C) babies smile when they think about their mothers, even before birth
D) newborns rarely smile at their mothers, but are more likely to indicate attachment by crying and reaching

Question 33

Cross-cultural research shows that infants reach different developmental milestones:

A) at exactly the same pace
B) at different paces
C) occasionally at different paces, but almost always at the same pace
D) none of the above

Question 34

Which of the following statements is NOT true of teratogens?

A) Teratogens include any chemical in the environment that negatively affects a developing embryo or fetus.
B) Teratogens are a group of recessive genes that affect the child while still in the womb.
C) Teratogens include alcohol, prescription drugs, and environmental chemicals.
D) Teratogens are often avoidable.

Question 35

Comparisons across cultures regarding when children achieve particular developmental milestones indicate that:

A) culture plays a role in when children achieve developmental milestones
B) crawling occurs at the same age in all cultures
C) the achievement of developmental milestones shows a consistent general pattern across cultures
D) no generalizations can be made regarding the process of human development without taking culture into account

Question 36

Synaptic pruning is:

A) the brain's way of doing away with synaptic connections that are not being used
B) a process induced by teratogens that negatively affects development
C) a process that occurs in all brain areas at the same time
D) a process that is detrimental to normal brain development

Question 37

Dynamic systems theory refers to the view that development is:

A) a self-organizing process
B) nonemergent
C) based on inconsistent interactions between a child and the environment
D) both B and C

Question 38

Children who suffer severe neglect have brains that are smaller and that develop abnormally.These results are most likely due to:

A) a lack of synaptic connections
B) a lack of synaptic pruning
C) plasticity
D) environmental enrichment

Question 39

Dynamic systems theory views development as arising from the interaction between a child and:

A) the child's cultural context
B) the child's environmental context
C) the child's genetic makeup
D) both A and B

Question 40

The drug thalidomide,when administered to pregnant women:

A) facilitated the development of immune responses in offspring
B) resulted in a high incidence of severe birth defects
C) did not relieve the negative symptoms of pregnancy as had been hoped
D) balanced the levels of hormones that a fetus was exposed to

Question 41

Which of the following statements is NOT true of imprinting?

A) There is a critical period in which imprinting must occur.
B) Imprinting occurs most commonly in humans.
C) Imprinting is a biological behavior.
D) If the mother bird is not available, the baby bird can imprint on any available female of that species.

Question 42

As part of a science project,you hatched a baby duckling and are raising it.The duckling follows you even when other adult ducks are around.The duckling's behavior is an example of:

A) faulty learning
B) imprinting
C) a fixed-action pattern
D) the absence of a critical period in duck-following behavior

Question 43

In middle school,you are taking Spanish.Your father becomes inspired to learn a second language.On the basis of the concept of "sensitive periods" in learning,you would predict:

A) that you will learn the language more easily than he will
B) that because he has had more experience with language, he will learn faster than you will
C) that he will master the new vocabulary faster than you will, but he will have problems with the grammar
D) nothing, because acquisition of a second language is unrelated to age of exposure to it

Question 44

One sign that a child is securely attached to his or her caregivers is that:

A) the child continues to play happily when the caregiver leaves
B) the child is not afraid of strangers when the caregiver is present
C) when the caregiver returns after an absence, the child ignores the caregiver
D) in the caregiver's absence, the child can be comforted by a stranger

Question 45

The results of Harlow's research with infant monkeys:

A) supported Freud's notions of human development
B) supported behavioral theories of development
C) challenged Freudian theories of development
D) undermined the notion of sensitive periods during development

Question 46

According to Bowlby's theory of attachment:

A) infants have a set of innate behaviors that cause adults to attend to them
B) infants must learn how to elicit attention from adults
C) social attachment is largely an outcome of how adults respond to infants
D) social attachment is largely an outcome of how infants respond to adults

Question 47

The implication of Harlow's research on infant rhesus monkeys for parenting behavior is that when your infant is frightened you should:

A) feed her
B) leave her alone until the fear passes
C) utter reassuring sounds to her
D) hold her

Question 48

As described in the text,Harlow did an experiment with infant rhesus monkeys,requiring them to make a choice between an imitation mother that provided contact comfort or one that provided food.The results demonstrate that for this species:

A) food is the most important reinforcement
B) food is used as a method for tension reduction in the young
C) contact comfort is more important than food, particularly during stress
D) infants were distressed because the "mother" providing contact comfort did not also supply food

Question 49

A person who has emotion regulation skills would be said to:

A) act appropriately in difficult situations
B) have awkward social interactions
C) throw temper tantrums when he or she does not get his or her way
D) have been born with the right emotional makeup

Question 50

Attachment is all of the following EXCEPT:

A) adaptive
B) a building block of social life
C) transient
D) present in nonhuman animals

Question 51

Harlow's research with infant monkeys demonstrated that:

A) fear can be reduced by food
B) when fearful, infant monkeys lose their appetites
C) fear produces a preference for contact comfort over food
D) fear inhibits the development of attachment behaviors

Question 52

Research by this psychologist showed that infant monkeys preferred a surrogate mother made of soft cloth that could not give milk to a surrogate mother made of barbed wire that could give milk.Who was this psychologist?

A) Konrad Lorenz
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Harry Harlow
D) Jean Piaget

Question 53

Which of the following behaviors is NOT typically shown by adults when they interact with infants?

A) Adults use a high-pitched voice.
B) Adults make exaggerated facial expressions.
C) Adults talk in low, soft sounds.
D) Adults rock back and forth while holding babies.

Question 54

Studies have shown that when infants begin to crawl,they:

A) begin to lose interest in their caregivers
B) display signs of being more interested in age peers than in caregivers
C) play happily even when the caregiver leaves
D) show signs of distress when separated from caregivers

Question 55

Which of the following statements is NOT true of attachment?

A) Attachment is important because it promotes survival.
B) Attachment occurs in all animals, not just humans.
C) Attachment can occur at any age and does not show the typical sensitive period.
D) Behaviors that indicate the type of attachment include separation anxiety.

Question 56

Separation anxiety appears in infants:

A) at various times, depending upon the cultures the infants are in
B) at 8 to 12 months of age
C) primarily if they have been deprived of caregiver comfort
D) at about the same time they reach the formal operational stage of development

Question 57

Approximately what percentage of children develop an insecure attachment style?

A) 5 percent
B) 15 percent
C) 35 percent
D) 65 percent

Question 58

If your infant was securely attached to you,as defined by Ainsworth,when placed in the strange-situation test he would:

A) explore the room and the objects in it
B) stay very close to you for support
C) be fearful of any stranger who came in
D) not be distressed if you left the room

Question 59

Infants show signs of developing social attachments:

A) at about the same time they can move about in their environments
B) at about the same time language develops
C) when they are old enough to understand facial expressions of emotions such as contempt
D) within the first few months of life

Question 60

The strange-situation test was designed to allow psychologists to assess:

A) how infants respond to separation and reunion with their mothers
B) an infant's tendencies to seek or avoid novelty
C) a mother's response to a fearful infant
D) the level of social skill an infant has acquired

Question 61

A hormone that has recently been shown to play an important role in mother/infant attachment is:

A) testosterone
B) oxytocin
C) epinephrine
D) norepinephrine

Question 62

A toy maker wants to determine which of three colors infants like best.Which of the following would be best for assessing this preference?

A) strange-situation test
B) preferential looking technique
C) visual acuity tests
D) there is no good technique, infants cannot yet distinguish colors

Question 63

To understand what infants know,researchers use experimental paradigms that take advantage of all the following processes EXCEPT:

A) habituation
B) preferential looking
C) crawling
D) orienting

Question 64

You present an infant with two stimuli and time how long she looks at each of them.Over a 5-minute period,the infant looks at each of them for the same amount of time.You can probably conclude that:

A) the stimuli are of no interest to the child
B) the child has never seen the stimuli
C) there are differences in the two stimuli
D) the stimuli are similar

Question 65

Approximately what percentage of children develop what Ainsworth called a secure attachment style?

A) 15 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 45 percent
D) 65 percent

Question 66

The orienting reflex is the tendency for an infant to:

A) pay more attention to novel stimuli than to stimuli he or she is familiar with
B) move toward any breastlike stimulus
C) prefer subtle patterns to bold patterns
D) look away less quickly when the stimulus is familiar

Question 67

In terms of sensory capabilities,you came into the world with:

A) good visual sensitivity but unable to smell or taste
B) some ability to process stimuli related to all five senses
C) good taste and smell but only a minimal sense of hearing
D) excellent vision but poorly developed senses of smell and taste

Question 68

Adult levels of visual acuity:

A) are not reached until the child is approximately 4 years old
B) do not develop until about one year after birth
C) are undermined by binocular disparity
D) usually have developed by 6 months of age

Question 69

An infant is presented with two stimuli,one of which it has seen before and one of which it has not.He or she will:

A) look at the familiar stimulus longer than the unfamiliar
B) look at the unfamiliar stimulus longer
C) shift its gaze between the two, allocating roughly equal amounts of attention to both
D) look at the one with subtle compared to bold patterns

Question 70

The nature of an infant's attachment to its caregivers is primarily a function of:

A) its genetic inheritance
B) parental treatment
C) which of Piaget's stages of development it has achieved
D) the degree of contact comfort it has experienced

Question 71

At what age will a baby have a nearly adult level of visual acuity?

A) 1 week
B) 1 month
C) 6 months
D) 12 months

Question 72

An infant less than 10 days old:

A) will alter his or her behavior if the alteration allows the infant to hear his or her mother's voice
B) has the auditory acuity of an adult
C) can see stimuli in depth
D) begins to learn vocabulary audiovisually

Question 73

Visual acuity reaches adult levels in a child:

A) within weeks after birth
B) at approximately 1 year
C) by the first grade
D) at about age 10

Question 74

When a psychologist says you have become habituated to a stimulus,she means that:

A) you are familiar with it and prefer to look at it rather than at other stimuli
B) you habitually engage in behavior that makes the stimulus accessible to you
C) your interest in the stimulus declines
D) you no longer see, smell, or feel it

Question 75

Recent studies have shown that an infant:

A) cannot tell the difference between her or his mother's voice and a stranger's until about 6 months old
B) can alter his or her sucking pattern to hear his or her mother's voice
C) can tell the difference between her or his mother's voice and a male stranger's but not a female stranger's
D) cannot process speech until he or she begins to talk

Question 76

A securely attached infant differs from one who is insecurely attached in terms of:

A) what they do when the attachment figure leaves
B) how they respond to strangers
C) what they do when the attachment figure returns after an absence
D) all of the above

Question 77

Which of the following statements is true of young infants?

A) They show no preferences for particular stimuli because they cannot discriminate between them.
B) They prefer familiar stimuli to novel stimuli.
C) They prefer novel stimuli to familiar stimuli.
D) They prefer circular stimuli to rectangular stimuli.

Question 78

If your mother was emotionally or behaviorally inconsistent with you,you are likely to have a(n)_____ attachment style.

A) secure
B) inconsistent
C) insecure
D) disorganized

Question 79

A human newborn:

A) cannot discriminate brightness and color
B) can clearly focus on objects up to 50 feet away
C) can tell the difference between her or his mother's voice and that of a stranger
D) can discriminate tiny stripes from gray patches

Question 80

Imagine you are visiting your sister and her 1-year-old child,Jamie.You note that Jamie becomes distressed whenever your sister leaves the room,can be easily comforted by you while she is gone and something stressful occurs,and ignores your sister when she comes back into the room.Ainsworth would describe Jamie's attachment to your sister as:

A) insecure
B) secure
C) strange
D) disorganized